The Extent Visualized

The second part to the data project that is a data vizualization and story

By Amir Benkelai

Click here for instructions on world importing/downloading in Minecraft. *(Scroll to the Q&A section at the bottom for Mac)

Reflection

Following the blueprinting and analysis from my previous post, I went ahead and visualized some of the data in a conceptual style to yield the same answer I reached. Due to the low sample size, I was not able to get any sort of “basic” statistical item to work through Flourish and, since that failed, did not see the need to try it on Excel. I thought of maybe cleaning up my data with python as first suggested but then I had a lightbulb moment. I went back to my previous post and realized I could use that framework for my visualization. Then, I gathered the data from those 3 key questions I explored but ran into another issue: how do I make the visualization in Minecraft? After a lot of creative thinking and not much writing down, plus a discussion with my classmates, a data visualization that would likely make a traditional data scientist gag was born.

The core idea was simple: build a big enough microwave oven to house the 3 key questions on each wall. However, during the building process, it turned out the radiation question may not make sense without one of its supporting questions: Do you feel safe around a microwave oven? The reason behind this is that the radiation query cannot properly work without also knowing if someone feels safe or not because in physics terms microwaves are a type of radiation. See the previous post for details. From there, it kept growing; microwave oven was done but the layout looked like a gallery exhibit (in a conceptual likeness), so, logically, encase it in a museum building aptly named “The Data Museum”. This itself was designed in a brutalist style because its raw elements and sharpness do well to symbolize the strangeness of visualizing data this way. And then an exhibit explanation followed to help build up the contextual asset of the story. In the end, I was surprised to discover how well the oven and concrete texture turned out, since I usually do not consider myself that great of a builder. I also learnt a few things from this creative endeavour.

One of these is the power in showing numbers, that is, giving a way to see the quantity instead of just the quantity’s digit. For example, 14 sheep for 14 respondents or 3 cooked muttons for 3 respondents. Not incredibly hard to visualize numbers but having that component can still be handy. Reflecting upon it, I realise I made the equivalent of a three dimensional bar chart for much of the data since I did choose Minecraft in place of Excel or Flourish. This made me wonder if there can be a difference in data perception simply by having it designed through a three dimensional form; cuboids in place of rectangles, &c. However, in pursuing this, I do realize that this piece asks from the viewer to do a lot of heavy lifting. The answers must be brought together by starting from left and going right, the one hint given by the contextualizing item at the beginning. The choices were also difficult to narrow down as each block represents the answer or question. For example, sheep are food, heating refers to heating food, thus sheep for heating and cooked sheep (mutton) for cooking (watch the 1st minute of the video if confused). Some abstract ones, for certain, were the safety and maintenance questions. The block chosen for safety’s graphing, the copper slab and oxidized copper slab, is a simple reference to electricity, the driver of the appliance. For maintenance, the closest I could think of is a pickaxe, since it is the representative Minecraft tool for such tasks, and the redstone block because redstone is the closest thing to actual circuitry. This turns the visualization into a piece that requires not just understanding what research is being conducted but also understanding each Minecraft object chosen to make sense of the artistic reasoning behind it.

The final notable asset here then is the plate at the center of the microwave oven. I had turned the plate into a lounging area because it looked awkward when left empty. The books I placed on the table are meant to be the few existing sources on microwave oven history. Speaking of, in terms of microwave oven data gathering, all I can really find is this one Arkansas survey conducted back in 1970. It does cover the aspects of microwave oven safety from a more technical standpoint whilst referencing public perception in its analysis.